Letters to Juliet
by ForeverEverdeen
Summary: Betty Cooper dreamed of falling in love. She once thought it would be with the red-headed boy next door until he met the mysterious brunette in the pearl necklace. So, when she begins to receive anonymous love letters, she turns to the only person she knows who is not grossly in lust: her childhood best friend, Jughead Jones.
1. Chapter 1

"I think it time to call it, V. I'm going to be a lonely spinster for the rest of my life."

Veronica turns to look at me abruptly and fixes me with her disapproving stare. "Betty, c'mon. You can't be serious?"

I take a deep breathe before saying "I mean why wouldn't I give up. All of my friends are coupling up- your and Archie, Kev and Fangs. Hell, even Cheryl Blossom turned into a sappy romantic when she met Toni. I am so happy for you all, I really am because you all deserve such happiness. But, honestly, I am sixteen years old and I haven't so much as been asked out on a date." She walked over to my bed from her place in front of the mirror to take my hand in hers in an attempt at comfort. "I know you're in love," I continued, "and all of the world is butterflies and rainbows but I think that it might not be in the cards for me."

Her response is as jolting as it is demanding.

"Get up."

She takes my hand and drags me to the floor length mirror before taking my blonde locks from my signature ponytail and moving her hands to my shoulders.

"This person looking back at you is my best friend. Her name is Betty Cooper and she is the smartest, funniest, kindest, wittiest, and most drop-dead gorgeous person ever to come from this dreck town. And that is not all. You are talented as all hell, B. You single-handedly revived the school newspaper and now run it as a sophomore. You are first in our class, arranged the homecoming dance, caught a murderer, joined the River Vixens, and tutored half of the football team. Betty, I could go on forever, but I'm not the one who needs convincing here. The fact that you are single is because the boys around here are too scared, stupid, or a mixture of both. You'll see." She brushes my hair back from my face and finishes her monologue with, "Think about that for a while. I'll see you tomorrow."

I stand there for close to an hour, trying to see at least a glimmer of what she sees, but I give up when I see the tiny crescents on my palms and the tears slipping out of my eyes.

* * *

The next morning, I walk into the school building with a fresh face and a plastered smile only to see my two dark-haired counterparts talking in hushed tones in the lounge. Jughead seems to have more tension in his shoulders than usual and Veronica chastising him like a mother would her child.

"Now what do you think that could be about?" Kevin asks, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

"Geez, Kev, give a girl some warning. And them? Don't really know. It could be something for Archie. I think he and V are fast-approaching their two-month mark," I respond.

"Nah," he dismisses "she knows that boy better than he knows himself. She could get him a paper clip and he would treasure it forever."

Though his estimation of my sometimes dim-witted companion's intelligence is borderline offensive, he makes a valid point. The two of them together is quite odd and there is not obvious explanation. I make note of the exchange and swear to ask Jug about it later.

"Well, as much as I would love to catch up on the drama within our own friend group, I have to head to my locker before I go to Chem. Beakerman asked me to show up a few minutes early to check in on how the tutoring with Reggie is going so I better dash. See you at lunch?"

"Tootles, my blonde beauty!" he calls as he rushes toward a waving Midge. Shaking my head, I retreat down the hallway to my locker.

When I get there, I go through the motions to unlock it only to see an envelope flutter to the ground. I look at the people milling around the halls but there isn't normally too many people here this early. I think I catch a glimpse of a grey beanie disappearing around the corner, but it is gone too soon for me to be sure.

I tuck the white slip into my bag and head off to the lab before I can dwell on it too much.

I immerse myself in my classes and almost forget about the paper until I see it as I rifle through my bag for my notes. I pull it out with every intention of ignoring it, but I spend far longer thinking about that then getting any work done.

So I give in and pick it up.

The front reads "To my Beloved" in an elegant calligraphy. I tear into the envelope and begin to read.

* * *

 _To my Juliet,_

 _You enchant me._

 _I have never been one to romanticize but then again, there is no one quite like you. You glide down the hall with an elegance and grace that any queen would envy. Your beauty exceeds even the most coveted of paintings and you outshine even the most precious of jewels. Your eyes sparkle and glint even more brilliantly than the stars in the sky._

 _I have known you for years and after all this time, you still manage to enchant me._

 _I am not often at a loss for words but you bring me to the brink of speechless simply with your presence._

 _You amaze me._

 _Your allure is overwhelming, but it is nothing when compared to your talent and wit. Your passion can move mountains and your eloquence is breathtaking. Your intelligence is inspiring and gives me hope for the future of our world (because how could our world be bad with_ you _in it?)._

 _I have known you for years and after all this time, you still manage to amaze me._

 _I am honored to even share the same air with you._

 _I am in love with you, Betty Cooper, and just had to let you know. I have hid in the shadows of your heart for too long, keeping this longing dormant._

 _I will, though, keep myself anonymous because I know that we shouldn't be together. I know that you and I are operating in two different galaxies and I do not wish to ruin your cafefully-planned order with my dull chaos._

 _So instead, I will share my thoughts with you through these letters._

 _Always and forever yours,_

 _Your Romeo_

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 _So this is my first venture into writing in the Riverdale fandom and I am so excited about it! I have already posted this on AO3 (same username over there) and will likely post it on my Tumblr as well. Hope you all like it!_


	2. Chapter 2

I sit there and let the minutes pass by as I try to process the note I have just received. A love letter? To me? It can't be real, right? No one could possibly be this enamored with me. It's impossible. The feelings in this letter are reminiscent of the love in a Shakespearean sonnet, but I am not a romantic heroine. I am Betty Cooper: boring, blonde, and generic with way too much baggage for any high-school-aged boy to ever take on.

My thoughts cannot linger too long on the letter, though, because Jughead enters the office. "Whatcha got there, Betts?"

I jump a little in my seat, replying with a curt "Nothing" and quickly shoving the letter into my bag, to be dealt with at another time.

"Wow, Betty, that's not suspicious at all..." He takes his spot at the table across from me and opens up his laptop. "I guess, after all of these years of friendship, you really can't trust me. You know what they say: secrets, secrets are no fun..."

"...unless you share with everyone!" I finish. "Yeah, yeah, I know what they say but I also don't understand how a wordsmith like you could possibly agree with a statement that defies the very definition of a secret, Mr. Jones."

"Touché, Ms. Cooper. Touché," he says, nodding at me with his signature smirk.

This is always one of my favorite parts of the day.

For the most part, my school days are pretty routine. I show up early. I tutor or speak with my teachers. I go to homeroom, where I catch up with Archie or get harassed by my darling cousin, Cheryl. Then are classes, where I drown myself in my work and immerse myself in equations and stoichometry. Lunch with V and Kevin follows, where they gossip and I nod along like I can keep up with the drama. More classes. Cheer practice where I try to keep up with the squad. Home to do homework and make dinner. Then I prepare myself to do it all over again.

The only thing that breaks up the monotony is my time at the Blue and Gold. Here I have a purpose. Here I am a leader. Sure, it is a high school newspaper with only one writer besides myself, but it is something that I take pride in.

Plus, Jughead's presence doesn't hurt.

He is funny, smart, and sarcastic. We work seamlessly as a detective duo and when it comes to our editor/journalist relationship, we are a well-oiled machine. He challenges me mentally and makes me strive to be a better editor because I want to make him a better writer. It is his way out of this town and, if anyone deserves a break from the bad hand they were dealt, it is him. His mother left with his only sister a couple years ago and all he has is his dad, who wasn't reliable as an adult, let alone a father for quite some time. He also had to serve his time in prison when his role in the cover up of Jason Blossom's murder was brought to light, leaving Juggie orphaned and forced to stay with the Andrews' for a while.

We have an easy friendship and our time in the Blue and Gold office only brings us closer. He genuinely cares about me and I, him. He makes me smile, even when I am feeling down on myself. He listens to my worries and eases them with the wave of a hand and a warm hug. In return, I am the only person he is able to completely open up to about his home life. We just get each other.

"You okay?" He asks.

"What? Fine! I'm fine. Just zoned out a little." As try to refocus my attention back to our latest issue that goes to print at the end of the week, I remember this morning. "Hey, I saw you talking to Veronica this morning and it looked pretty intense. What was that about?"

The question seems to take him by surprise and he stutters a few times before settling on, "Oh, it was nothing. Just something about Archie she need for her anniversary gift or something." He still squirms in his seat but isn't willing to elaborate, so I let the topic go. It couldn't be that important and I'm not about to push him into being any more uncomfortable than he already is.

We settle into a comfortable silence for a while as he works on his latest expose on the slow shrinking of cafeteria servings and how it goes back to inflation and I play around with the formatting of my letter from the editor and Kevin's monthly gossip column.

I leave school feeling lighter than I did when I came in the morning but the weight of the note making my backpack feel a million times heavier.

* * *

I mindlessly float through dinner with my parents and quickly finish my homework before I take residence on my bed and pulling out the slightly crumpled piece of paper that has been in my thoughts since it fell out of my locker this morning.

I read it through a few more times, trying to really direct it, discover any clue about its author before I give up and resolve myself to it remaining a mystery forever.

Then a thought pops into my head. Of course I am having a hard time doing this by myself! I may have a disposition toward being a private investigator after I graduate college, but I work best when I have someone to bounce my ideas off of. I need someone detached from the whole situation. Someone who can take the clue for what it is: a clue. All of my hopelessly devoted friends would see it as an opportunity to set me up.

Except one.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I pull up my phone and open my messages app.

 _ **Betty:**_ _I need your help._

I wait rather impatiently for it to ding with the tell-tale signal of a response. Within the minute, the screen lights up with a new message.

 _ **Juggie:**_ _Whats up?_

I carefully consider my words before landing on a decisive explanation.

 _ **Betty:**_ _I got an anonymous love letter in my locker this morning. I want to find its sender so that I can assess its sincerity._

The next response doesn't come as quickly as the first, but it is clear he is carefully considering his words. I begin to regret asking him something so absurd when he sends something back.

 _ **Juggie:**_ _And I come in where…?_

I breathe a sign of relief at his intrigue and send off four messages in rapid succession.

 _ **Betty:**_ _I can't be objective in this situation._

 _ **Betty:**_ _And I work better when I work with you. Please!_

 _ **Betty:**_ _Pretty please with a cherry on top!_

 _ **Betty:**_ _I'll treat you to Pop's when we find him!_

I guess the last promise does the trick because he agrees and we exchange a few back-and-forths about what I know so far and when we can discuss the next stages in our investigation.

Before I know it, it is midnight and my usual sleep schedule that accommodates a full 8 hours is completely ruined. I note the time and my increasingly-frequent yawns and wish him good night before shutting my bedside lamp and drifting off with thoughts of my beanie-wearing bestie and my newly-realized secret admirer.

* * *

I arrive at school with a sugar-filled frozen coffee (that would cause my mother to faint if she knew) and a smile on my face with the gears turning for Project Not-So-Secret Admirer.

(Title in Progress.)

I arrive at my locker and take a cleansing breath before entering the combination and looking inside.

There lies another letter, this time accompanied by a beautiful, fresh gardenia.

* * *

 _To my Juliet,_

 _I don't doubt that you wish to find out my identity and my intentions._

 _Well, my identity will not be revealed for your own sake._

 _I do not wish to court you or have you on my arm. You do not need to be on anyone's arm, for your strength and quiet power speaks above even the loudest of voices. I do not possess even a fraction of your intelligence or talent. Instead, I am willing to repress my feeling deep inside the prison of my mind because I lack the courage to even approach this subject with a woman like you. I could never burden you with the difficulties of my own life and I lack the means that you deserve to be provided. You have no need, of course, for someone to provide for you, but you deserve to be taken care of. Unfortunately, the person to do that is not me._

 _I guess that leaves the explanation of my intentions._

 _I have seen you deflate recently. You seem to carry a heavy burden on your shoulders and do not possess some of the courage and lightness that once made your eyes sparkle. Your radiance seems to be glaringly apparent to everyone but you._

 _With these letters, I wish to show you how you look through another pair of eyes. I see just how amazing you truly are and I wish to share my vision of the one and only Betty Cooper with you. I want that confidence to return and mirror the person it comes from._

 _I love you, Betty Cooper._

 _I just wish that you would love yourself as much as I do._

 _Always and forever yours,_

 _Your Romeo_

* * *

Sorry for the wait! This chapter is considerably longer than the last one, so I hope that makes up for it a little. I hope you guys like it because this one was definitely a lot of fun to write! I am posting this simultaneously on my tumblr and AO3 account (same name), so you can read them there as well, but updates will definitely appear on here first. I loved your comments on the last chapter and they really meant a lot to me. Thank you so much for you positive feedback and I would love to hear how this one measures up! 3


	3. Chapter 3

"So, first things, first. What is the evidence we have collected so far?" Jug asks, getting down to business as soon as I enter the office.

I set down my bag on my desk and pull out the letter and the gardenia I placed in my textbook to press. "So far It is just these two letters and this beautiful flower."

"The second one is new. What do you think of it?"

I begin to respond but then decide to brush off the question. "Doesn't matter what I think. I can't even think about my feelings until I find out who this person is." I pick up my trusty highlighter and purple pen that I use to edit Jug's articles and start rereading the second letter once again. When I reach the last paragraph, I say, "This guy obviously has to have known me for a long time. That eliminates anyone new to the school…"

"Great, we can eliminate Veronica. Now we have it narrowed down to the entire male student body!"

"Look, Jughead," I snap, "I asked for your help, not your sarcasm! Now, focus. I return my eyes to the letter but I can feel his gaze linger on me. "I didn't mean to bite your head off. I'm sorry. I just really need to find out who this is, Juggie. Please?"

"Why does this mean so much to you, Betts? He obviously doesn't want you to know its him. Can't you leave it alone?"

"I don't know why. I just have to. No one has ever really felt this way about me before. I want… I _need_ to know if it is genuine, that he actually cares and this isn't just… Veronica trying to cheer me up or a dumb cheer initiation prank masterminded by Cheryl. That's why you are here. You're my best friend but you are also one of the most honest people I know. I need you to tell me this isn't some elaborate scheme, that this seems legitimate."

He pulls up a chair next to me and envelopes my hands in his. When he brings them up to his lips and places a gentle kiss on them, I am momentarily stunned to silence and a rush of warmth rushes through my body. He tilts my chin up so our eyes can meet and whispers, "You are amazing, Betty Cooper. You're like Nancy Drew meets Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. You deserve love. You are too fantastic to be with anyone who treats you less than a princess."

I am speechless. What can you say to that? Those are the most beautiful, romantic words that any person has ever said to me. I don't do it consciously, but gravity seems to pull our faces closer— so close I can feel his breath skate over my face. I see him glance down at my lips. Just a little closer and—

 _Knock. Knock._

I spring out of my chair just in time to see the smiling face of Trev Brown round the corner. "Hey, Betty! I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute?" He then seems to spot Jughead and, as a second thought, adds, "Oh, hi, Jughead."

I take a look down at Jug only to see him staring down at his shoes. He only spares a second to half-heartedly wave at Trev before he storms out of the room.

"Is he okay? Did I interrupt something?"

I look after Jughead for a moment, still reeling from our… whatever it was, before I respond. "What? Oh, no. No. I think he'll be fine. Anyway, what did you need?"

"Well, I was hoping I could ask you on a date, actually. Just you and me, maybe a movie, a round of milkshakes at Pop's…"

For the second time in an hour, I feel the wind knocked out of me in shock. He's asking me out? _Me?_ We have known each other since pre-school and not once have I ever had an suspicion that he liked me as friends, much less romantically. We've talked in passing during student council functions, but never more than a few words here or there. I would've never guessed…

However, it seems that my mouth can process the information faster than my head can, because I hear myself say, "Sure."

"Cool! Yeah!" He answers, his timid smile growing to a full-blown grin.

I hear him ramble on about times he is free and "I'll text you later", yet all I can think about Is what Jughead will think.

—

I am at cheer practice hours later when Cheryl announces that we will be here much longer than she originally thought.

"You bitches are a lot less capable than I gave you credit for. My mistake. Take a five minute break while I call Toni to tell her I have cancel our date because some people don't understand their front handsprings from their hurkies!"

I collapse onto the ground, my muscles exhausted from basing far too many stunts than I ever want to. "V, can you pass me my phone in the front packet of my bag? I have to tell my mom I won't be home in time to make the cupcakes for her book club tonight."

"Sure, B. Oh you have a—"

I look up at her pause and see her staring intently at my phone, a look of shock or horror on her face. Which one, I'm not so sure.

"Elizabeth I-don't-know-your-middle-name Cooper, what is this text from a Mr. Trev Brown?" She begins to read the message in a voice that is supposed to be male, but sounds more Terminator than Trev. "Hey, Betty! Just wanted to know if next Friday at six is okay for our date? Blushy smiley face! Betty! Why is this gentleman inquiring of your plans on Friday night and sending you flushing emoticons? What are you not telling me!"

She plops down on the floor next to me. I make to grab my phone but she moves it out of my reach before I can grab it and raises her eye brows at me.

"Its nothing, I promise. I was in the Blue and Gold office this morning when he came in and asked me out."

"Oh my God! B! I didn't even know you liked him. Good for you! I told you things would look up soon." She pulls me up by my shoulders and gives me a big hug.

Cheryl's commanding voice booms across the gym. "ENOUGH AFFECTION! The only times you ladies are allowed to look happy is when you are smiling through the intense pain and adrenaline coursing through your veins in the midst of the mind-blowing routine. Which is anything but mind-blowing right now! Back to work!"

Veronica helps me stand up and says, "We are not done talking about this, Ms. Cooper! I am calling Kevin and talking this out before we meet the guys at Pop's tonight!"

In my bedroom, I sit at my vanity while Veronica does my makeup and Kevin looks through my closet to find an outfit for my date.

"Kev, I love and appreciate you for doing this, but my date is still a week away! That is plenty of time!"

"Oh, my dear, sweet Betty. This is not just _any_ date. This is your _first_ date. Why are you acting so blasé about this?" He kneels in front of me and V halts her war on my eyebrows.

I take a deep breath before thinking about it. Because he _is_ right. I should probably be more excited about this. But something is keeping me from celebrating this thing that, just a few days ago, I was longing for.

But I don't answer.

"Betty, if you aren't really into him, maybe it's not the best idea for you to go out on your first date with him? There is still time to back out, no shame," Veronica hedges.

"I don't want to cancel it. I had to have said yes for a reason. Whats the harm in one date, right?"

Then it hits me.

The letters. The flower.

I want _him._

I want the guy who has been sweeping me off my feet. I want the one who writes me the sweet nothings and makes even my extra-curricular hell sound romantic. What if that guy is Trev? What if _he_ has been writing the letters and has changed his mind about his anonymity? And this date is his way of telling me?

This date suddenly just got more interesting.

I must remain silent for too long because Kevin and Veronica have changed the subject to their own love lives.

"So I bought Archie's anniversary gift yesterday and, I have to say, it is perfect!"

My curiosity piqued, I ask, "What did you decide to get him?"

She reaches into her purse and pulls out what looks like a ring box. When she opens the box, I see two small guitar pick-shaped silver pieces, each engraved with an "A". "I was talking to his dad a couple weeks ago and he was saying that they have a wedding to go to soon, some friend of the family, and I asked if Archie had a pair of cufflinks. He said no, so I called a friend of Daddy's to have these custom-made! Aren't they the cutest?"

"Veronica, he will adore them! They are perfect!" Exclaims Kevin, stealing the box so he can examine them a little more closely.

Wait, his dad? "I thought you asked for Jughead's help with the gift?"

"Jughead," she scoffs "why would I need Jughead's help? That boy is as inept with gift-giving as he is with his own damn emotions!" Kevin nods along in agreement.

"But he said that he was talking to you the other day because he needed your help with Archie's gift?"

She seems to think for a moment before it dawns on her and she hurries to come up with an answer. "Oh, yeah, that. Right! I needed him to hide the gift somewhere Archie wouldn't find it, but then I realized I could just put it in my purse." She turns and nervously digs through her bag.

Its clear that this is not even close to the truth, but I know better than to try and get a secret out of Veronica Lodge. Its like her mind has a high-security vault that has a code only a select few know.

Instead, we leave for Pop's.

When we walk into the diner, I look around and see Archie and Jughead in our signature booth. It is clear they are in mid-conversation, Archie laughing and Jughead…is he blushing? God only knows what _that_ is about. I start to head over, but Pop calls me over to his position behind the register.

"I'll meet you guys at the table, just give me a minute. Make sure Juggie doesn't drink my shake before I get there!"

Before I can ask, Pop hands me a letter. It is just like the others. A plain white envelope with _To my Beloved_ on the front.

He seems to read my mind because I can't even get the question out before he says, "I don't know who its from. The fella was long gone before I got back from the kitchen. It was just this and a post-it note that told me to give it to you."

I rip it open, starving for the next installment in this saga.

 _To my Juliet,_

 _You are so much more powerful than any celestial body._

 _I like to think I have at least a basic understanding of astronomy. I know how a star is born, and how it dies. I know that the sun will some day consume the Earth in a fiery inferno like no life has ever seen. I know that we all orbit that very sun._

 _But I have a new theory, something much more profound and ground breaking than Galileo or Newton._

 _I orbit you._

 _You have a gravitational pull that is so effortless, yet so strong, that I am powerless to resist it._

 _I am helpless, and I am not so sure that I want to be helped._

 _With each passing moment, I feel my body falling out of my own control and taking the path that you have determined for it, whether you are aware of it or not._

 _I cannot stop loving you, Betty Cooper, and I am not sure that I want to._

 _Always and forever yours,_

 _Your Romeo._

So chapter three is up! I was on vacation the past few days and I literally started writing this chapter on one of those free note pads that the hotels give you. _. I hope you guys like it. What could possibly be next for these two? You know what they say, one step forward, two steps back...

I hope this one lives up to the last two. Please, let me know if you like it and what you may want to see next!


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